Thursday, July 12, 2007

Some of you might know that Im wanting to start a club this fall along the lines of 'Oklahoma Students for Science Education' (eh havent decided on a name) to help graduate/medical/nursing students learn how to present science/evolution/their research to laypeople. We got a new microbiology professor/student adviser this year, and I walked in on her, the retiring adviser, and a professor discussing how disgusted they were that people they graduated with (these are middle-aged ladies), PhDs in microbiology, could know nothing about evolution.

This will sound odd, but that was music to my ears!

I didnt want to interrupt, but I ventured that I was hoping to start a club in the fall, to which one professor bellowed "HAHA! An Intelligent Design club! HAHAHA!" hehehe So I think OSSE will be a well received idea, and I might be able to convince this new lady to be the academic adviser of my club! YAY!

10 comments:

Hey ERV -- I dunno if you've already done this, but if you are ever in the vicinity of the University of Oklahoma, you should look up Vic Hutchison, an emeritus zoology prof. who keeps track of the evolution/creationism issue in Oklahoma and knows people across the state. Email me at matzkeATncseweb.org if you want his email.

I thought about making a similar group here at UT, and coordinated a bit with Austin's Center for Inquiry about it this past semester. I talked with one of the people running the CFI and he was really interested in helping me and a buddy set up a Science/skepticism student group this coming fall.

I'm not sure if I'll pursue it, since it will probably take up a considerable amount of time, but who knows, perhaps your OSSE will make me get off my lazy ass.

Do you have any local biotechs who might be willing to help sponsor you? I know our company provides support (i.e. coffee money, some career advice sessions etc) for a local student-run journal club that focuses on our area of expertise, in exchange for the occasional 5-minute talk by a rep.

Okay, like Ive said before, my parents, intentionally or not, sheltered me from ultra-religious people. So my life is filled with Borat like cultural-clash funniness.

One such event involved those WWJD? bracelets. I was on the golf team in high school, and one of the girls I was playing with one day had one of them on-- I, not having any idea what it was, and seeing as its golf, you make polite conversation with your competitors, asked her what it stood for.

She told me, with the most adorable sincerity, what it meant and what it meant for her. I thought this was the funniest OR stupidest thing I had heard in my entire life.

The next meet, me and the girls I was playing with were exchanging stories about the dreadful people we had played with over the season (some golf girls are terrible), and I was like "OHOHOHOHOHOH! Ive got a good one! The girl I played with last week was insane WWJD? Sandwedge or pitching iron? HAHAHA!!!!" One girl got all snippy and decided to take a stand for Jesus.

About had a brawl in the middle of the golf course.

The other girl got to go back and tell her teammates about the Christan/atheist battle she had witnessed on the 4th hole.

I have some experience setting up a science literacy and outreach group. We focus more broadly than on evolution/ID, and because of that get support from lots of departments on campus. Granted, I am in Seattle... Anyway, check out the Forum on Science Ethics and Policy and email me (I just sent a science question to your gmail acc't) if you want to hear about how we raise funds and organize events.